Bunkers, Mortars & Big Snakes!
The time was mid March, 1966.
The location was Sherwood Forest, Home of the 173d Assault Helicopter
Company, the Robin Hoods and Crossbows.
The company had arrived in Vietnam
on 15 March and was assigned to a base camp collocated with the Third Brigade,
First Infantry Division. In the interior of the base camp was the village of Lai
Khe, which, in earlier days, supported a rubber tree experiment station owned
and operated by a French company. Because of the Viet Cong activities, the
station was inactive. As we landed aboard C-130 Air Force aircraft, the single
dirt runway was being improved and lengthened.
Our assigned "home" was in
the rubber tree plantation adjacent to the runway. Rubber trees marched in
precise alignment in every direction as far as the eye could see. Major Glenn M
Ebaugh, Commanding Officer, had approved the name of our area as "Sherwood
Forest", with the radio identifying call signs of "Robin Hood"
for the troop carrying helicopters and "Crossbow" for the armed escort
helicopters.
Our living and working areas were
completely undeveloped. Major Ebaugh had convinced the local engineer company
dump truck platoon to place a load of fill dirt at the proposed location of each
tent. Fortunately the task was almost complete before the Engineer battalion
commander discovered the diversion of assets and recovered his trucks. Other
than that support, the unit personnel completely constructed the infrastructure
of the company, including the bunkers.
A sister company at a near by base
camp ,Phuc Vinh also arrived to a bare living area. Within 24 hours the area was
attacked with mortar fire. It was smilingly reported that the company filled ten
thousand sandbags the next day. We were determined not to be caught in the same
situation so priority was placed on building bunkers.
Because of the high water table,
bunkers were constructed above ground, scattered throughout the area to insure
quick access when needed. Most were relatively small, about eight feet by ten
feet and five feet high. Against the protestations of the French liaison
representative, we cut rubber trees to span the open top which then held the
double layer of sandbags. Contrary to the experience of later years, we received
only medium sized mortar rounds and no rockets during my stay.
We did not have long to wait to test
the bunkers. About a week after they were completed, we came under mortar
attack. We rushed from our tents to the assigned bunkers as mortar rounds began
to shred the tops of the rubber trees, creating dangerous air bursts. About
eight of us hunkered down against the walls of our bunker and listened as the
rounds continued to fall. One pilot nervously lit a cigarette and ,as the
lighter flared, another shouted, "Snake!!". As one, we all rushed out
of the bunker, just as a round landed nearby. By instinct we all rushed back
into the bunker. "Is it still here?" Flick , went the lighter.
"Yes!, and it’s moving!" Another rush outside ;another mortar round;
and another rush inside. This time someone had the presence of mind to pick up a
fallen tree limb and dispatched the snake with a vengeance. We were unable to
determine the species of the snake; it had been beaten to an unrecognizable
pulp.
The next morning a not-to-be named
Captain was seen digging a ditch around the bunker and pouring JP-4 into it.
"Snakes won’t cross a ditch filled with POL", he confidently stated.
It must have worked. We found no more snakes in our bunker.
By Howard
Malone
Robin Hoods 1966
COPYRIGHT 2001 - Howard Malone
1st Shirt 1967
Photo Credit - Doug Ward
Photo Credit - Doug Ward
Dan Binkley around 1967
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